The modified rates will start from $424 and go all the way up to a whopping $1308!
Gone are the days when Burning Man was free and the first time that entry was charged it was only a measly $30. Now each year as the festival grows, so do prices, and the new Nevada entertainment tax law is doing nothing to help it. This probably won’t stop the 72000 tickets from selling out in a matter of seconds though as Burning Man always has since 2011.
(Courtesy : cdn.theatlantic.com)
The prices of the main sale tickets were not raised by the management but rather due to Nevada’s new 9 percent live-entertainment tax recently amended to include events such as Burning Man. The tickets are pegged at $424 The tax is required by state law to be collected at the time of purchase. The base rate of the low income tickets is the same but will now cost $207 instead of $190 . Pre-sale tickets were hiked to $990, from last year’s $800, and will cost $1,079, including the tax. Burning Man has also introduced a 1000 Da Vinci tickets priced at $1,200 that will cost $1,308 with tax in an attempt to cover the 10%-15% increase in production costs. Except being a limited edition ticket, it offers no additional perks to ticket holders. The tickets are in sync with this years “Da Vinci’s Workshop” themed festival. Though the tax doesn’t apply to vehicle permits, the rates have been increased from $50 to $80
“Nearly everything about producing (Black Rock City) gets a little more expensive every year — supplies, permits, labor, insurance, etc. Sometimes a lot more. And we are investing in our off playa programs as well,” Miller said noting that the Bureau of Land Management permit has been the greatest increased expense in recent years.
Although, Burning Man bumped up the price of vehicle passes — which were introduced in 2014 — not only to “cover the gap” but also to encourage carpooling.
“We think it’s better than raising the price of individual tickets because it encourages carpooling. Traffic is a serious challenge, as you know, and the cost is typically shared among friends and campmates,” Miller said.
—– (Source : Jenny Kane/www.rgj.com)
Main sale tickets go live on March 23 for registered members. Will you still be purchasing a ticket this year?